Latch



(No Model.)

' J. s'. BOYUM.

Patented Apr. 16, 1895.

f w I $11 f 2/11 7 I 7 a a 9 0 A? 4 1 4 I f 1 if J STATES PATENT O FICE;

JOHN S. BOYUM, OF MAYVILLE, NORTH DAKOTA.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 537,746, dated April 16, 1895.

Application filed November 22, 1894. Serial No. 529,585- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. BOYUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mayville, in the county of Traill and State of North Dakota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Latches for Closet, Cupboard, and other Doors, of which the following is a'specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in latches for closet, cupboard, and other doors, my object being to simplify and improve the construction and operation of door latches, to reduce the cost of their manufacture, and to render the latch susceptible of being used on right and left hand opening doors.

It is a further purpose of my invention to provide a novel and simple construction whereby the latch, made in a single piece shall have. ample leverage without being unduly projected from the front of 'the door, and whereby the latching engagement may be effected by a spring of light tension.

It is my purpose, also, to provide a simplifled construction of the catch with which the hooked end of the latch engages, whereby said catch may be mounted upon any part of the structure which is flush with the door, when the latter is closed.

The invention consists, to these ends, in the novel features of construction and new combi nation of parts hereinafter fully described and then particularly pointed out and defined in the claims.

To enable others to understand, make, and use my said invention, 1 will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made, for this purpose, to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional View illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a slight modification. Fig.3 is a front elevation. Fig. 4 is a detail section showing the latch and escutcheon. Fig.5 is a detail section of the escutcheon. Fig. 6 is a detail View of the catch.

The reference numeral 1,in said drawings, indicates a door of any form, which may be the door of a closet, sideboard, bookcase, or

other article of furniture, or ascreen door.

The numeral 2 denotes the rigid portion of the structure with which the dooris combined,

and particularly that portion with which the free, or movable edge of the door is aligned, when the latter closes. Upon the front of the door, near its edge, is attached an escutcheon 3, having a flange 4 which lies flat against the face of. the door and receives the screws which attach it. The body of the escutcheon projects from the face of the door sufficiently to form a chamber 5, the greatest dimension of which is in a horizontal plane passing centrally through the escutcheon. ing the chamber 5 extends to the edge of the door and is flush therewith or nearly so, resting upon a wall or partition 6, which constitutes the edge of the door and incloses an opening 7 cut through the latter and communicating with the chamber 5, in the escutcheon. Lying in said chamber and preferably projecting into the opening 7 are two parallellugs 8, formed or rigidly mounted on the inverse face of the end wall of the chamber 5. Between these lugs the latch 9 is inserted and fastened by a pivot 10.

The body of the latch extends through the opening 7 and beyond the inner face of the door, its extremity being provided with a hook 12. Upon the other side of its pivotal support the shank 13 of the latch is bent, or curved nearly at a right angle to the straight, bodyportion, so that it may pass from the opening 7 into the chamber 5 and extend, nearly in parallelism with the outer face of the door, to the other end of the chamber 5, or thereabout. Here it is bent, or curved,'outward, its end let lying in, or slightly projecting from, an opening 15 in the escutcheon. A knob 16, lyingoutside, is rigidly secured to the same in any preferred manner. Upon the side adjacent to the pivotal support 10, the end 14 is cut away to form a shoulder 17, which acts as a stop and prevents the projection of the end beyond a certain point by the shoulder abutting against the wall of the chamber 5. Between said wall and the shank 13 is interposed a coiled spring 18, its ends being engaged by studs, or lugs 19, projecting from the two parts against which the spring 18 exerts its tension.

The hooked end of the latch engages a catch 20, which consists of an angle-plate, or .L- shaped strip of metal, having an elongated opening 21, in its longest arm, which receives an attaching screw 22, and permits such small At one end the wall inclosadjustment as may be required to Wear or otherwise. This catch may be applied to the edge of the rigid portion 2, as in Fig. 1, or it may be reversed in position and mounted upon the face of the wall, or other part 2, upon which the door closes, as in Fig. 2. In the latter arrangement, the opening 7, in the door, may be somewhat farther removed from the edge of the door.

The hooked end of the latch is provided with a cross-head 23, to aid in operating the device from the inside.

Upon the opposite sides of the end 14 are formed ribs 23, which are curved in an arc struck from the pivotal axis 9. The edges of these ribs touch, or nearly touch, the edges of the opening 15 in the escutcheon and confine the end 14='to-a single line of movement in a horizontal plane, or substantially so, in order to effect the accurate engagement and disengagement of the catch. When it is necessary to lift the door, after disengaging the catch, these ribs locate the point where the lifting strain is exerted upon the end 14, and

remove said strain from the pivot-pin 9 to a point close to the knob 10.

The construction set forth provides a latch having the least possible number of parts, of extreme simplicity, and cheapness, and of such form that the escutcheon is not unduly projected upon the outer face of the door. Moreover, the-form of the latch gives it a leverage resembling that of a bell-crank, rendering its actioneasy and enabling it to make its latching engagement by means of a spring of light tension. The stop limiting the movement of the latch prevents its being broken, should unusual strain be exerted in effecting its disengagement, and the arrangement of parts enables me to locate the catch at different points and attach it to the most convenient part of the structure.

An important feature of my invention, which materially increases the utility of the device, resides in the fact that the lugs for supporting the pivot-pin of the catch or latch lever are arranged in close proximity to the periphery of the escutcheon; and, further,

that the latch is susceptible of being used on right and left hand opening doors.

The location of the pivot-pin bearing, composed of the lugs 8 in close proximity to the periphery of an escutcheon composed of a single piece, enables me to reverse the catch or latch lever, which is very important from a practicable standpoint.

What I claim is 1. The combination in a door-latch, of an escutcheon formed of a single piece, adapted to be secured to a door and provided with a pivot-pin bearing located in close proximity to the periphery, and a latch-lever pivoted to said bearing, provided with a hook and having an angularly bent portion provided with an outwardly bent end having a knob and oppositely arranged ribs which are curved in an arc struck from the center of the pivot of the catch or lever and join the shoulder of the knob to bear against the edge of the openingin the escutcheon, said catch or latchlever being also provided with a shoulder to limit its outward movement, substantially as described.

2. The combination in a door-latch, of an escutcheon composed of a single piece,

adapted to be secured to a door and having pivot-pin lugs located Within it in close proximity to the periphery of the escutcheon, and a catch or latch-lever pivoted to said lugs, provided with a hook havinga cross-headand having an angularly bent portion constructed with an outwardly bent end having a knob and oppositely arranged ribs which are curved in an arc struck from the pivot-pin of the catch or latch-lever and join the shoulder of the knob to bear against the inside edge of the opening in the escutcheon, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set JOHN S. BOYUM.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL P. BUNN, GEO. A. SUNBERG. 

